The iconic toy store Hamleys at Regent Street, London, might at first sound like an unlikely setting for a fashion show. But for designer Anamika Khanna’s label AK|OK’s debut at the London Fashion Week on September 22, the venue seemed to be the right choice.
Models walk the runway at the AK|OK SS26 show during London Fashion Week
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Special Arrangement
AK|OK’s debut collection had models sashaying past shelves of toy cars, plushies and more. It delves into nostalgia, honours the designer’s endeavour to look at India with a modern lens and celebrates the country’s textile and craft heritage.
“I have always felt that there was a need to push the boundaries when it comes to presenting India anywhere in the world. And when I started thinking about this collection, specifically what we were going to show at London Fashion Week, I thought of this cool Indian London girl,” Anamika says. “This girl has roots in India because she has Indian grandparents, and when she visits them, she discovers a few pieces. I thought about what she would do with these pieces when she got back, and this is where the collection story started,” the designer says.
Anamika Khanna attends the AK|OK SS26 show during London Fashion Week
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Special Arrangement
The collection includes flowy capes, slouchy trousers, long coats, and oversized shirts featuring elements of reimagined traditional craft. Chikankari embroidery, for instance, features on long coats, and silver elements referencing Indian jewellery feature on jeans, skirts and boots. Working with nuances such as the Indian churidar or angrakha silhouettes in this collection and to look at them from the lens of a foreigner, Anamika says, were things she personally found very exciting.
“I am so proud of my heritage. This is where I come from. I want to derive from here and yet make clothes that neither look like a costume, nor are unapproachable and unwearable. This becomes a challenge, as to where to draw the line. So, all of this together was something I had to keep in mind,” Anamika explains.
Sonam Kapoor at the AK|OK SS26 show during London Fashion Week
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After eight shows in India over the last four years, for AK|OK, Anamika says the London debut only felt natural given how the city is fashion forward, experimental and accepting.
“AK|OK, since the time of its inception, always had global ambitions and the potential to be a brand out of India that is relevant in terms of ready-to-wear fashion. Obviously for that, you need your clothes to be showcased and you need people to see them in a certain way which is why I felt like London as a platform became really important, given how it is very receptive to different cultures.” she says.
Jacqueline Fernandez at the AK|OK SS26 show
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Special Arrangement
With the London debut being a pivotal point in AK|OK’s journey, Anamika says that the brand continues to evolve every single day. “It is like a whole universe, and not just about fashion. It is about a lifestyle, it is about a mindset — either you are AK|OK or you are not. It is about a way of life where you allow ease, and it starts with the way you dress,” she says. More and more people, she says, are getting the brand’s ethos. “If you make a mistake, it is okay. If you are not perfect, it is okay. If you’re wearing the wrong mix and match, it is okay as well,” Anamika says, encapsulating what the brand stands for, in fashion and otherwise.
This year, Anamika branched out towards South India with her first flagship store in Hyderabad, designed Isha Ambani’s MET Gala outfit, and opened Lakme Fashion Week with her collection, Silver Collar. “It has come to a point where the more creatively I am challenged, the better it is. I am in this mindspace… fashion is like that,” she laughs.
About what else this year has in store for her, Anamika says, “We have also just finished shooting for our couture collection, have bags coming up, and I am looking forward to the opening of another Mumbai store.”
Published – September 23, 2025 03:31 pm IST
